73

ALEXANDER

Killian wouldn’t just get on with it. I expected that from him.

He had to be a little shit first. I’ll admit I was surprised when he said we should jump straight into it. Normally, he prefers theatrics. All that drmataic shit. It's how he made it this far. Not by being the strongest, but by being the most terrifying brand of patient.

If you pissed him off, you’d never know. If you betrayed him, he’d invite you to dinner like nothing happened. Then, you’d start to feel hot. Chest tight. Your lips numb. By the time you realized he’d poisoned your drink, it would be too late. And Killian? He’d sit there and watch. Smile on his face. That same bored, lazy one he always wore. Watching your final moments like you were entertainment.

His last words are always the same, at least according to his victims. “I didn’t give you life. But I can end it.”

Honestly, I think hearing that as you die might just be worse than the dying part.

“Before we leave—” I began, and he groaned like I’d stabbed him in the gut. I ignored him, of course. He’d done the same to me enough times, so he could live with it.

Maybe now he’ll understand how fucking annoying it is to deal with someone who just won’t shut up.

“I thought you said she was going to last longer than the others?” I made it sound like a question, even though we both knew it wasn’t.

Killian looked like a bomb with its wires already snipped and the numbers have finished counting down. Just waiting for a jolt to set him off.

“You didn’t just fucking bring that up,” he growled.

Didn’t need to ask why he was pissed. I already knew. The girl got under his skin.

“Well, I just want to know.”

He turned on me, jaw clenched. “Did you see me asking why you’re being pissy? No. Because I know how to mind my damn business.”

This was probably the worst time to remind him that his entire job was sticking his nose in people’s business. I bit my tongue, nodded, fighting back a grin.

It’s always the ones you least expect.

“Let’s go,” he snapped. “I need blood on my hands before I do shit I’ll regret.”

Now that sounded more like him.

“Finally. Something decent coming out of your mouth.”

Honestly, I think he’s cursed more today than he has in the entire time I’ve known him. Not that I’d ever bring that up either. Some things are better kept to yourself when your best friend’s this close to snapping.

I tried to mindlink Claude, thinking he’d want in. He always got pissed when we had a job and didn’t tell him. But the link wasn’t going through, and Killian wasn’t waiting. He was pacing like a panther in chains, ready to tear something apart.

I followed him to the front. Just as I stepped out, I paused, expecting to see his car. I almost laughed at the idea that he might have driven off without me, until I saw him heading out from the garage on foot.

“Where the hell is your car?” I asked, eyes scanning behind him like maybe he’d hidden it in his pocket.

“You act like a fucking bitch sometimes,” he snapped. “Are we going to a tea party or to kill people? We don’t need a damn car.”

I held my hands up. “Fine, fine. Yours is bigger.”

He ignored me, walking ahead. Then paused to take off his suit jacket, handing it to a maid I hadn’t noticed standing there until now. She appeared out of nowhere, ans stood frozen like someone had pressed pause on her. She didn’t even blink when he unbuttoned his shirt in front of her, peeling it off like it was nothing.

“Ever heard of a changing room?” I muttered, watching the poor girl pretend like she wasn’t two seconds from a breakdown. "you know my therapist said speaking about your emotions helps you understand it better."

“Shut the fuck up. You’ve never seen a therapist in your miserable life,” he said without turning.

“I’m sure if I saw one, she’d say I’m charming.”

He didn’t laugh. Just unbuckled his belt and tossed it onto the growing pile in her arms. Only Killian would undress like this in the open, in broad daylight, and make everyone else feel like they were the ones being inappropriate.

“You have enough money to buy a new outfit, you know,” I said, nodding toward the fine Italian fabric he was preserving.

“That’s why I have money. Because I’m not a wastrel like you.”

“If you ever turned out to be richer than me, I think I’d die of shame.”

He huffed, and for once, didn’t say anything back. Either he was too pissed to argue, or he finally accepted I had a point.

Down to just his briefs now, he didn’t spare me a glance as he shifted. His Lycan form was just as dramatic as his human one. Massive, muscular, with a coat that swirled in shades of warm browns. He didn't wait to see if I followed before he bolted into the trees.

Always the gentleman, just not when it’s me.

I gave the maid a nod to go, then shifted as well. The moment my paws hit the dirt, a jolt of energy ran through me. It had been way too long since I ran like this. I howled, more for the thrill than anything else, and took off after him.

We raced through the woods, the same ones where I’d seen Alina yesterday. Her face flashed in my mind, but I forced it down. Now wasn’t the time.

The thought of informing someone where we were going came and went. This was supposed to be quick assignment. Just some rogue Lycans.

Wolf rogues were usually criminals exiled from their packs. Rogue Lycans, though, they were different. Most just couldn’t function in a pack setting. Didn’t play well with others. The violent ones? We got rid of them. No point keeping trouble walking around. They don’t deserve a place in any society. Not even this one.

Wolves are cruel, even to their own. Always have been.

But rogue Lycans… the ones that survive, the ones smart enough to hover near packs because they’re valuable. They don’t serve anyone. They don’t belong to anyone. They work for whoever pays the most. And they know everything.

I should’ve come out here on my own days ago.

But with Killian beside me now, snapping necks and demanding answers with his mere presence, I had a better shot at finding out what I needed.

They loved him out here. Worshipped him, almost. Saw him as one of their own. The way he carried himself, the way he didn’t follow anyone’s rules, not even the Lycans’, made them look at him like a god.

And that’s exactly what I needed.

If anyone knew what the hell was going on with that little mutt…

Killian would know where to find them.